|
Alright, I "wasted" quite some time now watching through several dramas that were considered good, and I just HAVE to give my 2 cents. There's some commenting on the particular dramas and then some general comments that made me go "wtf".
1) My first one was MGIAG. Wonderful drama, funny, Shin Min Ah is so adorable, the main actors have a wonderful connection, the story was not too slow, and I actually felt compassion with the people I was supposed to, and hated that noona chick. Seriously, gtfo my Dae Woong!
2) Then City Hunter. Looks fresh, main actors are wonderful and charismatic (PMY <3), a lot of "cool" stuff happening (as in fights etc.). I'd recommend it completely if it weren't for the + Show Spoiler +slow, unsatisfying ending episodes and the final moments as said before in this thread.
3. Secret Garden. Slow plot, didn't like the girl (well, Kim Sa Rang is hoooot, but not the main actress, nor is she really charismatic). Main actor being smug was funny, turning into some sensual guy with feelings was actually less funny. Also, the obnoxious overdose of tears. One's gotta cope with that. I couldn't. Watched it to the end though, wouldn't recommend.
4. Iris. Best storytelling of the 4 dramas. Kim Tae Hee is adorable although she has a face looking like she's always sad except when she smiles/laughs. One gets used to it though. Main actor was meh in the beginning, but he grows on you. It was actually exciting and sometimes even unpredictable which can't be said for the rest of the dramas I've watched. Would fully recommend it.
Now some general ranting. Spoilering for use of examples from the dramas.
+ Show Spoiler +
a) I'm not the only one feeling the urge to sometimes punch the characters in the face for their behavior. Be it the recurring "No I can't be with you, it's too dangerous for you/we are too different from each other" (MGIAG - "no you're a gumiho and I'm human", Secret Garden "yeah we come from two different parts of society, big deal", City Hunter - "it's too dangerous, so I kiss you on the rooftop and then tell you to stay away for the rest of the drama", and even that one scene in Iris after he beat her up in the interrogation, then brings her home and tells her she should stay away from him because he's become a "monster" as predicted - I mean seriously, not having her beat up would have led to a faster injection of that veritaserum and to her eventual death; that behavior was totally excusable) nonsense, the apparent stupidity to see obvious circumstances (bad guys being bag guys; that suspicious behavior from the president's "secretary" in Iris comes to mind) or just general stupidity ("yeah I'm a prosecutor and I was told where the book is so I'm just gonna go solo the boss mob and his minions without backup" - City Hunter, as well as other numerous examples). Also, what's with all the emotion that's being kept in for several episodes before someone openly declares his love for the other person? I might not be romantic (or korean) enough of a person to find such behavior titillating; to me it's just stupid or cowardly. And to be honest, a story works when the viewer can sympathize with the characters, not when he's sitting baffled in front of the screen banging his head on the keyboard raging on why those main characters behave like that.
b) What's with the weird, unsatisfying endings? Except for Secret Garden which is slow as fuck throughout the whole drama, most endings are rushed. There's the main engagement (SC talk, I know), the romantic finale and some father-son or friend-friend issues being resolved within an hour and it alwaysfeels rushed to me, especially when nothing significant has happened the episodes before (I'm talking to you, City Hunter). And then some romantic storylines don't even get solved properly. What's with Hyun Joon's death at the end of Iris? And the ending of City Hunter with one look and then driving away in the car alone? Things like this don't make me go all "aaaaw" but really, really angry. And MGIAG wasn't all to great either in that regard. Mi Ho leaves and then comes back after some time without apparent reason why she couldn't come back earlier; also, the main girl being away in the last episode and then returning suddenly but expectedly is something a good story writer should avoid imo.
c) Also - but that may be just me - why do those people open themselves up so hesitantly? I guess it's a cultural thing, but it weirds me out to be waiting several hours for a "joha yo" instead of the appropriate "saranghae" being sung in every kpop song out there. The dude in Iris just getting over there and kissing Kim Tae Hee was refreshing, but after that the emotional numbness kept coming back. Additionally, physical love evidently takes a lower rank in the importance of the romance, and I don't just talk about sex, but some full-body hugs and kissing. There's scenes of someone being desperate and the significant other is just patting her on the back/shoulder/arm. I'm sorry but I don't feel like that's appropriate at all. These are scenes, where again, I'm weirded out, making me lose the connection to the otherwise well executed character developments.
That should be it for the moment, I just had to get that off me.
Do I need more spoilers for the for the first part?
|
I think Secret Garden really depends on the person. Secret Garden was a breath of fresh air in the staleness that has been recently the Korean Drama scene. The last drama I watched was Brilliant Legacy with Lee Seung Gi and Han Hyo Joo before Secret Garden came out. I watched up to 12 episodes of MGIAG and then stopped. I have all of City Hunter download just never got around to it.
While Secret Garden was airing, I was trying to catch up on Fugitive: Plan B and didn't finish that one. However, I did finish Lie to Me. LOVED IT! I also tried to finish 49 Days and Midas but the plot was either slow or rather to fast and concepts were good.
I'm just waiting for a new Yoon Eun Hye or Han Hyo Joo drama to come out. I know Han Hyo Joo has a movie coming out with So Ji Sub.
|
I only watched Chuno and I would recommend it.
Tried some other action series but it was so cheesy I had to turn it off after 5 minutes :/
|
Korean dramas are usually shot while it's being broadcast and I would assume they don't script that much ahead before shooting. So that might be why endings are so bad.
Last K drama I really liked is My Name is Sam. Though I don't think I could watch it again because PMY is paired up with a pretty old actor. Nothing against the actor though, just the age difference makes it creepy.
Beethoven Virus was good when I watched it. But I don't think I can stand watching Kim Myung Min act like an asshole anymore, haha.
Oh, I thought Likeable or Not was really good. Might be just me, cause I really like the lead actor's good guy character. But I think that's hard to fine nowadays. Last time I watched it I had to search alot for some measly fileserve links.
Oh and FYI, since K dramas are shot on the fly. Most actors have to pull alot of 24 hour shifts to film them. God why are they and k idols so hard working. And two one hour episodes per week is freaking insane. Before I thought it was only one episode a week, but turns out most air on either Mon/Wed or Tue/Thurs. And 1 full hour for each episode (not including comercials). That's just insane haha.
|
+ Show Spoiler [PMY] +
No nono nonononooooo. Of course she still looks great, but I'm more of a fan of long and curly.
|
She looks quite a lot more mature there. I gotta admit I like it.
|
IRIS Ending:
+ Show Spoiler +I actually liked it. It's not that I dislike happy endings, but once in a while such a "bad" ending is nice to see. That's basically why I like asian productions over all (films, series, ...). They dont stop from killing important / major / likable characters. I also thought it was fitting for the story (the movie ending sucked though). IRIS was pictured as such a huge organization that it seemed hard for me to believe that they wouldnt retaliate (or werent capable of retaliation) against Hyun Joon & co. On September 28 2011 01:45 deadlywaffle wrote:Iris + Show Spoiler +I doubt anyone would agree with me, but I hated that Seung Hee chick. I wanted her to die, oh so many times. I liked that North Korean chick a helluvalot more than Seung Hee. When that car blew up, I was actually happy. Not that I hated Seung Hee, but she was annoying. And Sun Hwa (NK chick) was far more likable for me as well 
|
Started watching Killer K, really good so far.
|
So this is more Korean variety but I suppose it's closer to drama than the music discussion. So, I've gotten into Heroes. Is it right that I can only find up until like episode 22 with subtitles and after only raws? I believe I saw someone post a link here some time ago linking to a site that was further along the process of subbing.
I do not mind to use raws (I prefer it actually) but I would need the softsubs which are pretty impossible to find. Please help me out! 
Cheers
|
|
|
han hyo joo was so cute in heavens postman. i recommend that movie!
|
Just saw A moment to remember. It was a little long (I had the 144 min director's cut), but damn... this movie hit me hard. I would definitely recommend seeing this if you have not already.
|
So far, I have seen 4 dramas.
Girl K - 9/10
IRIS - 9/10
City Hunter - 8.5/10
49 Days - 9/10
Maybe I am just lucky and have selected good dramas to watch?
I like this concept of television shows more than the American concept. Making them more like very long movies with a defined ending and rarely an intent to create a second season is better imo.
|
^
Yea you picked some good ones.
The format really is something. It's a new approach to storytelling for most westerners and that alone can make it enjoyable. I also enjoy it a lot.
Also, Personal Taste is really good. No overly stupid characters and some funny moments. No action or anything fancy, just a nice romance story.
|
On September 29 2011 22:23 Zocat wrote:IRIS Ending: + Show Spoiler +I actually liked it. It's not that I dislike happy endings, but once in a while such a "bad" ending is nice to see. That's basically why I like asian productions over all (films, series, ...). They dont stop from killing important / major / likable characters. I also thought it was fitting for the story (the movie ending sucked though). IRIS was pictured as such a huge organization that it seemed hard for me to believe that they wouldnt retaliate (or werent capable of retaliation) against Hyun Joon & co. On September 28 2011 01:45 deadlywaffle wrote:Iris + Show Spoiler +I doubt anyone would agree with me, but I hated that Seung Hee chick. I wanted her to die, oh so many times. I liked that North Korean chick a helluvalot more than Seung Hee. When that car blew up, I was actually happy. Not that I hated Seung Hee, but she was annoying. And Sun Hwa (NK chick) was far more likable for me as well
the ending was meant to be an end to the Iris series, so they had to close the chapter convincingly. I think the pd/screenwriters did pretty well in that regard.
however, because the original series was so successful they're creating a sequel and supposedly bringing back everyone from the original cast.
+ Show Spoiler +According to Taewon Entertainment on April 20th, 2010, principle actors Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Tae-Hee, Kim Seung-Woo, & Kim So-Yeon from season 1 of "IRIS," are in talks to return for the sequel.
honestly, the spinoff (Athena) was pretty poorly done when you compare it to its predecessor, and I think a huge factor was that the cast in the spinoff was pretty subpar. In Iris, Lee Byung Hyun just has a lot of charisma as the protagonist, Taehee was fuckin amazing in her role, and Kim Soyeon plays her part as a conflicted NK agent extremely well.
I just hope in Iris 2 they have a believable and decently written script instead of trying to bullshit their way into explaining how Byung Hyun comes back.
+ Show Spoiler +also taehee was THE BEST ^o^
|
just finished protect the boss. awesome from beginning to end. one of my favorites
|
On October 03 2011 14:32 andyrau wrote:the ending was meant to be an end to the Iris series, so they had to close the chapter convincingly. I think the pd/screenwriters did pretty well in that regard. however, because the original series was so successful they're creating a sequel and supposedly bringing back everyone from the original cast. + Show Spoiler +According to Taewon Entertainment on April 20th, 2010, principle actors Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Tae-Hee, Kim Seung-Woo, & Kim So-Yeon from season 1 of "IRIS," are in talks to return for the sequel. honestly, the spinoff (Athena) was pretty poorly done when you compare it to its predecessor, and I think a huge factor was that the cast in the spinoff was pretty subpar. In Iris, Lee Byung Hyun just has a lot of charisma as the protagonist, Taehee was fuckin amazing in her role, and Kim Soyeon plays her part as a conflicted NK agent extremely well. I just hope in Iris 2 they have a believable and decently written script instead of trying to bullshit their way into explaining how Byung Hyun comes back. + Show Spoiler +also taehee was THE BEST ^o^
+ Show Spoiler [IRIS] +My theory is that he didn't die, but just like throughout the show, everyone presumes LBH died and he comes back since he is the only one that can truly stop IRIS. So, all of the talks about the actors returning has to be somewhat secret for now. If they announce everyone returns, we already know no one died. And that is no fun.
|
I dunno if this is really a drama but Detective K is that any good? If so ive heard that there is a movie(s?) how should i start watching that then? is there like a movie as opener or are the movies after the series?
|
On October 04 2011 09:28 Rkie wrote:+ Show Spoiler [IRIS] +My theory is that he didn't die, but just like throughout the show, everyone presumes LBH died and he comes back since he is the only one that can truly stop IRIS. So, all of the talks about the actors returning has to be somewhat secret for now. If they announce everyone returns, we already know no one died. And that is no fun.
http://www.allkpop.com/2010/08/lee-byung-hun-will-not-be-cast-for-iris-2
>GI Joe 2 instead of IRIS 2
T_______T
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://static.allkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/park-min-young1.jpg)
